1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to an improved apparatus and method for lower back exercise.
2. Background
Back muscle and cartilage injuries, especially in the lower lumbar region of the back, are relatively common. Such injuries are especially common in individuals who, for one reason or another, have failed to maintain the conditioning and tone of the muscles that support the lower back. These muscles, the spinal erectors and hip flexors must be maintained in reasonable condition if such muscle and cartilage injuries are to be protected against.
Additionally, once injury has occurred, healing can be promoted by increasing the flow of blood to the injured muscles and the areas surrounding the injury. Unfortunately, the number and density of blood vessels in the lower back area is relatively low. However, exercise is believed by many to stimulate increased blood flow. A drawback to most forms of exercise is the risk or tendency of hyperextension of the already injured muscles thereby aggravating the injury rather than promoting healing of the muscles, cartilage and surrounding tissues.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,359, to Applicant Louis J. Simmons attempts to address these needs. The present application is an improvement over the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,359, as well as over the apparatus disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,529,413 and 6,491,607, all of which patents are incorporated into the present disclosure by reference in their entirety, but which are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this Background section. However, none of the previous attempts have completely met the exercise needs of individuals who have already sustained lower back injuries or whose lower back areas are too out-of-condition to be able to withstand rigorous exercise. In order for exercise to be of value, it must progressively increase in intensity. A common method of increasing the intensity of an exercise is through the use of increased resistance from static weight additions. However, adding weight to an exercise can increase the hyperextension of lower back muscles. Therefore, weight training is not generally recommended for those suffering from lower back muscle, tissue and cartilage injuries.
There is a need for an exercise apparatus that avoids hyperextension of lower back muscles while providing for conditioning and muscle tone, and which can increase local blood circulation to injured muscles and tissues in the lower back. There is also a need for an exercise apparatus that can permit progressive intensity of the workout to strengthen lower back muscles and tissues and provide increased blood flow to those areas, without increasing the hyperextension of lower back muscles. For persons not in good physical condition, there is a particular need for an apparatus that can assist the person with performance of the exercise, while still retaining the benefits of lower-back muscle conditioning.